It was from Jake.
“Hi,” it began. “I know you probably don’t want to hear from me. I just wanted to say I’m sorry if I made anyone uncomfortable. I never meant to. I wasn’t trying to be creepy. I just… I always felt like I didn’t belong. You guys seemed like a real family, and I was just watching from the outside. That’s why I kept those things. They made me feel close, even if I wasn’t.”
He wasn’t a threat. He wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. He was just a sad, confused kid clinging to a version of family he thought he’d never fully be part of.
I sat down and cried.
How had I missed it?
I called Tom. I told him about the message. About what Jake had written. He didn’t say anything for a while. Just breathed heavily on the other end of the line.
“I should’ve seen it,” he finally said.
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